Advertising device.



W. I'. SWEET. ADVERTISING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED 1320.5, 190e.

943,71 4. Patented Dec. 21, 1909.

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'BJ y# d WM mmf W. F. SWEET. ADVERTISING DEVIGE.

APPLICATION FILED DEG. 5, 1908. 943,71 4. Patented Dec. 21, 1909.

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W. P. SWEET. ADVERTISING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED DEG. 5, 1908.

Patented Dec. 21, 1909.

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Wi neowo UNITED srnfrns 'PATENT nein.,

WELCOlVIF.. F. SWEET, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO BARCLAY JOHNSON, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

ADVERTISING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

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To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WELCOME F. SWEET, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Advertising Devices, of which the following is a speciiication.

My invention relates to improvements in advertising devices, and more particularly to an endlesschain of movable signs, moving continuously in one direction, new signs appearingat one end of the device and signs gear 9 transmit motion to' disappearing atthe .other end of the device.

A further object is vto provide improvements of this character, which are especially designed for use in street cars to'take the place of the ordinary fixed' cards now in In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1.,-

is aibroken viewin elevation illustrating my improvements. Fig. 2, is'an enlarged view inliorizontal section of the right hand end of the device. Fi 3, is a similar View' of the opposite end o the device, and Fig. 4, is

a View in vertical longitudinalsection taken at right angles to Fig. 3. Fig. 5, is a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing the parts in slightlyadvanced positions. f Y

1 represents an elongated rectangular casing, preferablyhaving transparent sides 2', one, of these' sides may of course be opaque if desired. A' shaft 3 is supported in a bracket 4 on top of the casing 1, at one end of the latter, and is provided with a pulley 5, drivenfby a belt 6, from any source of power. This shaft 3 transmits motion to a train of gea-ring 7 onc'ofjsaid. gears connectedby a shaft 8 with the gearl 91011) the .bottom ofthe casing, and this chain of gears 7 and the gears -110 and 1-1 at the top and bottom ofe` casing respectively, so as to turn saidegears 10|;and 11 in the' same direction, and atfthe same speed.

The gears 10 and 11 are provided With short shafts 12 projecting through the top and bottom respectively of casing 1, and having secured thereon inside of the casing sprocket wheels 13 around which endless sprochet chains 14 travel. These sprocket chains 14 at the other end of the casing travel over idle sprocket wheels 15, secured upon a rotary shaft 1G, the latter mounted in the top and bottom of casing 1.

A bracket 17 is secured to the casing bottom and provided with a stud 18 on which a sprocket wheel 19 is mounted. This sprocket wheel 19 is revolved by the lower chain 14, and is provided with a dog 20 and a frail spring 20a, secured to the dog for a purpose .which will hereinafter appear.

To provide a track or passage-'way through which the lower sprocket chain 14' moves, a rail 21 is Secured on angle brackets 22 and extends from a point near sprocket wheel 19 throughout a greater portion of the length of the casing, and around the sprocket wheel 15. This rail, it will be noted, is supported at an elevation above the casing bot.- tom, and at its ends adjacent to sprocket wheel 19 is bent inwardly, the inwardly bent portion at therear of the casing, constituting a guide to direct my improved `signs 23 into the passage-way formed between this lrail 21 and a similar rail 24, located near the' outer edgeof the casing. A second rail 24 is located at the front as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

My improvedC si ns 23 may be made in a great many ways,. ut preferably made with transparent walls and constructed to receive anadvertising card, and support the latter rigidly ,in position. These si ns which are locatedl in single tile, one behlnd the other, are pivotally connected at their forward ends to posts 25. Theseposts 25 are secured to the upper and lower sprocket chains 14 and the signs can swing laterally on the posts when permitted to do so by the rails 21 and l24.

Every sign at its rear end is madey with'a dependmg pin 26, and these pins are in the path of movementof the'dog' 20 Yon sprocketv wheel 19. H'ence'when a sign reaches the right hand end of the casing anditspost 25 begins to move rearward around sprocket. wheels-13, the dog 20 will have rengaged the pin 26 of this sign 23 and movethe 'free end of the' sign rearwardly, substantially in conf soy formity with the rearward movement of the post or forward end, and move the sign backward in comparatively a straight line to a point in rear of sprocket wheels 19 when the dog 20 will ride ofll of pin 26, and the frail spring 20a will engage the pin, long enough to prevent any possibility of the sign being carried forward, and insure the sign being directed into the passage-way between the rails 21 and 24, to properly start its retrograde movement.

At the left hand end of the casing, a spring bar 27 is secured at one end, to the casing bottom, and bears at its free end against the outer rail 24 at the rear. To

assist this spring bar 27 and insure its elas-A ticity a coil spring 28 is employed. As the signs 23 reach the eXtreme left hand end of the casing, the pin 26 on the sign will engage the spring bar 27 and force it outwardly as shown in .F ig. 3. As the post on the sign is brought around by the sprocket chain, the sign will be projected far enough to the left for the pin 26 to escape the spring 27 and the latter will spring back against the rail 24 and permit the pin to be guided forwardly by the spring bar 27. As the post end of a sign moves to the front, the cam action of the curved portion of rail 21 against the sign will cause the sign to swing to a straight line parallel with the casing front and properly present its advertising matter when it assumes a position at the rear end of the advancing line of signs.

.With a construction of this kind, a new sign is always presenting itself at one end of the line, while a sign which has traveled throughout the length of the casing is disappearing from the other end of the casing to begin its retrograde movement. The signs move backward and forward at the respective ends of the casing with their advertising matter in view, until the sign entirely disappears behind the row of signs in the front.

While my improvements are especially designed for use in street cars, they are in no wise limited to such a use, and might be employed in stores, windows, or in any other place desired.

Having thus desc`ribed my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a device of the character described, the combination with an endless conveyer, of a series of signs one behind the other and pivotally connected at their forward ends to said conveyer, and means for engaging the rear endsof said signs to move them rearwardly simultaneously with the rearward movement of the forward ends of the signs by the conveyer.

l2. In a device of the character described, the combination with sprocket wheels and an endless chain around said sprocket wheels,

of a series of signs disposed one behind the other and pivotally connected at their forward ends to the sprocket chain, a sprocket wheel driven by said sprocket chain, and a dog on the sprocket wheel adapted to engage the rear ends of the signs and move them rearward simultaneously with the rearward movement of the forward ends of the signs by the sprocket chain.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination with sprocket wheels and an endless sprocket chain mounted to turn on said sprocket wheels, of a series of upright posts secured on said sprocket chain, signs pivotally connected at their forward ends to the posts, depending pins on said signs at their rear ends,a sprocket wheel driven by said chain and located adjacent to one of the first mentioned sprocket wheels, a'dog on said last mentioned sprocket wheel movable in the arc of a circle and in the path of said pins on the signs to move the rear ends of the signs rearward simultaneously with the rearward movement of the post end of the signs as the posts pass around the sprocket wheel.

4. In a device of the character described, the combination with endless sprocket chains located one above the other, and means for driving said chains simultaneously in the same direction, upright posts connecting said chains, of signs pivotally secured at their forward ends to said posts, depending pins on the rear ends of said signs, a sprocket wheel driven by the lower of said chains, a dog on said sprocket wheel adapted to engage the pins and move the signs rearwardly as the forward ends of the signs are moved rearwardly by the sprocket chains.

5. I n a device of the character described, the combination with a casing, endless sprocket chains supported in the top bottom of said casing and located one above the other, posts connecting said sprocket chains, and means for moving said chains, of signs pivotally connected at their forward ends to said posts, depending pins on the rear ends of said signs, means at onelend of the casing for engaging said pins to move the rear ends of the signs rearwardly simultaneously with the rearward movement of the forward ends of the signs, and means at the other end of the casing for guiding the pin-end of the sign forwardly as the post ends are moved forwardly.

6. In a device of the character described, the combination with an elongated casing, sprocket wheels secured to the casing near the respective ends thereof, sprocket chains around said wheels located one above the other, posts connecting said sprocket chains, and means for driving said sprocket wheels, of a series of si s pivotally connected at their forward en s to said posts and located one behind the other, a sprocket wheel loand cated near one end ofthe casing and turned by one of said sprocket chains, a dog on said sprocket wheel, depending pins on all of said signs adapted to be engaged by said dog to move the rear ends of the signs rearwardly simultaneously with the rearwardmovement of the forward ends of the signs, and a l frail spring on said dog adapted to engage the pins for a short time after disengagement of the dog to start the pin-ends of the l signs properly in their retrograde movement. 7. In a device of the character described, the combination with a casing, rails secured in said casing and constituting a passageway at the front and rear of the casing, of an endless sprocket chain movable throughout this passage-way, upright posts on said chain, signs pivotally secured to said posts, depending pms on said signs, a sprocket wheel driven by said chain, a dog on the sprocket wheel adapted to engage the pins and move the pin-end of the signs rearwardly simultaneously with the rearward movement of the post end of the signs, a

frail spring on said dog adapted to engage the pins on the signs after the dog leaves the pins and direct the pin-end of the sign into l the said passage.

8. In a. device of the character described,

the combination with a casing, 'an endless sprocket chain in said casing, of upright. posts on the sprocket chain, signs pivotally connected at their forward ends to said posts, pins on said signs, sprocket wheels located near the respective ends of the casing and around which said sprocketchain passes, means near one of said sprocket wheels to engage the pins and move the ends of the signs rearwardly as their forward ends are moved rearwardly, so as to reverse the direction of movement of the signs at the rear of ing and located at the other end of the casing and in the path of the pins, said bar adapted to be forced outwardly by the advancing pins and spring behind the pins and guide the advancing movement of the signs` as they move from rear t0 front.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WELCOME F. SWEET.

-Witnesses:

J. A. L. MULHALL, R. H. KRENKEL.

the casing, a spring bar secured to the cas-l 

